


Muddy Pages

by raynoremmas



Category: No. 6 (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, alcohol and bar mentions, bookshop au, bullying is mentioned, lots of trauma vaguely implied, nsfw in ch 3, trans!nezumi, trans!shion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:22:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22057720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raynoremmas/pseuds/raynoremmas
Summary: “Do you really think that? You don’t give yourself enough credit, you know?” Shion giggled to himself, leaning in towards Nezumi, close enough for their lips to almost brush. “Be selfish for once,” the shorter boy pressed his lips firmly against Nezumi’s.
Relationships: Nezumi & Shion (No. 6), Nezumi/Shion (No. 6)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi~ I've rewritten this chapter about 4 times now. I'm excited to share my works with you.

Nezumi let out a sharp sigh upon seeing the fair-haired man walk through the front door of his shop for the third time this week. If he wanted to apologize, he didn’t have to do it so persistently. At least he's determined, the slightly taller man admitted to himself as Shion's warm magenta eyes met his. Nezumi darted his dark gray eyes to the counter and began wiping it down with a damp cloth to avoid his bubbly gaze.

Shion walked over to the counter towards his boss and set his school bag on a chair at the counter. "Hello, Nezumi!” He greeted him with a soft smile, as he had done for the past two days.

Nezumi bit back another sigh. “Hey," he paused to remind himself not to be too harsh. "I told you, you don’t have to do this.”

The shorter man protested, “But I want to! I feel bad about ruining your books…” He trailed off, looking to the floor with guilt like a puppy who'd just been scolded by his owner.

Nezumi shook his head, realizing he wouldn’t get the college student to back down. “Fine. You can start by organizing these books in alphabetical order for me,” he gestured to a box behind him on the floor. “They’re going on the shelves by the end of the day.”

“Of course,” He smiled happily as the reserved man accepted his help. Shion had visited the quaint bookshop about a week ago when he happened to be in the area. It was such a drab, quaint shop that he had hardly noticed it at first. There was a small checkout counter parallel to the door which connected to a counter for customers to sit. On the opposite side of the counter there was a small kitchen area for serving customers hot drinks. The path curved past the counter and led to a short hallway which was the entrance to a large room full of books. It was much bigger than he had originally thought it to be.

During his visit of about 15 minutes, he tripped and spilled his warm coffee next to the checkout counter on his way out. Now there was a hot liquid mess on the carpet near the front door. His soft white hair was adorned with a few brown flecks of coffee splatters. A small stack of books he'd knocked off the rack were now scattered across the floor and drenched as well. He felt extremely bad and apologized several times. Nezumi shrugged it off; he could just get more books. They were on sale and had been sitting there for a long while. Regardless, the snowy-haired guy insisted that he had to pay him back, no matter how much Nezumi said he didn’t care. Nezumi wanted to reject his help, but he felt a bit guilty seeing how desperate this drenched man looked to repay him.

He hadn’t seen this kid since high school. From what he remembered, he was shy and didn’t talk much and he never really stood out or up for himself when he was talked down to. He just let others toss him around, but always had the best grades. Nezumi was always popular with the girls, but never took real interest in any of them. He was cool and flirtatious, and an expert at being the center of attention due to his lead roles in school plays. However, he didn’t really have any close friends. Neither of them looked anything like when they’d last seen each other. Nezumi’s hair was longer and he got a bit taller, and Shion’s hair was dyed a silver color. Nezumi was also slightly curious about how the boy had been, so he figured he’d allow him to work for a bit. With their background, he didn’t want to turn down the kid. He’d always stepped in when he saw others picking on him and though he’d never talked to him aside from those times, he felt a sense of responsibility.

The next few days Shion came in to work off his "debt". He was in his last year of college, so he didn’t have money to pay him back. However, he was more than happy to help out around the shop. The regulars seemed to enjoy having him around to chat during the busier hours, which Nezumi was thankful for. Though he was a business owner, he was also a reclusive introvert. Nezumi was friendly enough, but by the end of the day anyone could tell he was hanging by a thread while waiting for the shop to close.

The quaint shop owner wouldn’t admit it, but he liked having Shion around. Plus, he rarely had new customers, so there wasn't much entertainment throughout the day. Shion excitedly blabbered on about anything customers would ask him, as if he were proud to be working in Nezumi's small shop.

Nezumi watched the way he’d handled the tasks he’d been given and could immediately tell he was used to living his life aloof. It was obvious to him that he’d never had a job, yet was very obedient. He was slightly clumsy, and had to be told often to remain mindful. Shion always went out of his way to help customers though, so Nezumi didn’t have to anymore, and he greatly enjoyed that aspect of having him there.

The dark-haired boy didn’t need the extra help around the shop and couldn’t afford to pay him, which made him feel a bit guilty. Since he was so determined to make it up to him, they had agreed on a month’s worth of work. This was after Nezumi had to bargain with Shion to get him to back down from three months though. Shion seemed to be an honest person, but Nezumi still kept his distance. He didn't want him to ask for a check, after all, he told himself.

“Hey, Nezumi?” Shion asked from across the counter. He was using a dish rag to dry the mugs that he had just finished washing. The sleeves of his shirt were slightly wet from washing the dishes. There weren’t any more customers in the shop now, and he took this opportunity to start small talk. He had noted that the shop emptied around this time every day. This will probably be the only time I'll get to talk to him, he thought as he wondered briefly why Nezumi was so withdrawn.

“What?” Nezumi didn’t look up from his notebook, continuing to write down his list of things that he needed from the store.

“You’re the same age as me, right?” He asked, hesitant yet bold.

Nezumi huffed. “Why does it matter? You’re not going to be here very long, so is there really a point in small talk?” He asked bluntly, though it sounded more like a statement than a question. Shion ignored the sharpness in his tone and pressed on.

“Of course it matters! You’re going to be my boss for the next month, so I’d like to get to know you at least a bit,” he paused when he realized Nezumi was trying to ignore him in return. Shion wasn't going to back down easily. “Plus, you look the same age as me, so I was just curious.”

“Yeah, we’re the same age. But I don’t see why that matters,” he rolled his eyes, trying to concentrate on his notebook again. This guy is like a dog who's eager for attention, Nezumi thought. He wagged his tail at any opportunity to please his boss. Nezumi had already told him that he didn’t need the help, but the snowy-haired person still seemed content with his choice. It confused the hell out of the small shop owner. He couldn't understand what Shion was thinking and it frustrated him. Why is he so insistent?

“I said I was just curious. Do I have to have a reason to be curious?” he asked, straightforward as always.

Nezumi was used to others being put off by his blunt personality, but Shion was never fazed. Maybe that was part of the reason Nezumi had agreed that he could work under him for a bit. No one really challenged Nezumi. He had a ‘resting bitch face’ as some would say. He had a constant frown on his face and his dark eyes were covered by his long dark bangs. He always wore dark clothing to match, of course. He was friendly when you spoke to him, but practically unapproachable if he were standing alone. “Usually people have a reason for being curious, yeah.”

"Well, I don’t,” he put the cups away on the shelf. Changing the subject, he asked, “By the way, do you have any plans for Valentine’s day, Nezumi?”

“Does it look like I would to you?” He raised an eyebrow and shot a mocking, yet charming expression at him and smirked. “Of course not. What a ridiculous question.”

“What do you mean by that? It would be wrong of me to assume. You don’t talk much, so how would I know if you were going to have plans or not?” he paused, shrugging. “Plus you’re really good at talking to the young women who come in. You’re really attractive though, so I guess that’s normal for you.” He stated this as if it were fact, which wore Nezumi’s patience.

“Whatever, go clean the windows and you can go home for the day.” He pulled out a cleaning spray and some paper towels, tossing them to the shorter of the two.

“Sure,” he smiled as he caught the supplies and headed over to go wipe down the windows on the door of the shop.

With his back turned to him, Nezumi sighed. He didn’t know where the other man got off asking him personal questions, and he didn’t really care. He would just entertain him for another few days and then tell him he didn’t need him anymore. It’s not that he was a bad worker in the slightest. It was that Nezumi went out of his way to avoid social interaction whenever possible. He just wasn’t up for doing something like making friends. It got in the way of his work and his hobbies. Regardless, this was going to be a long week- that he was certain of.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nezumi tries to fire Shion, but it doesn't go as planned.

Obscure chatter could be heard from across the small shop where Nezumi was recording inventory. With the holiday coming up, there were more customers than usual. He paused to slide his raven hair behind his ear. His mouth briefly held his pen as he tightened his hair tie.  _ I guess it’s not so bad having that idiot around when it’s busy,  _ he thought as he grabbed the pen out of his mouth and began to count merchandise on the shelves again.

Though he was ready to start again, he could hear dishes clattering in the distance. He bit back a sigh and decided to take a break to see what was going on. _ If that idiot broke dishes, he’ll be begging me to let him stay longer,  _ he dreaded. Walking into the cafe area, he noticed Shion putting dishes into the sink to be washed. There were still a few tables with customers sitting and doing various things ranging from reading to typing on their computers. He walked towards the sink, coming up behind Shion, “Finally got the hang of things, hm?” He mocked. “I can tell by all the noise you’re making.”

Shion jumped a little, startled by Nezumi’s presence, “Oh! You scared me,” he let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry, a few slipped out of my hands but they aren’t broken!” He paused to rub some dish soap onto his sponge. “Your customers recommended that I read a lot of different books. I never really took an interest in reading for fun before I started working here. I originally came in to see if you sold textbooks.” He brushed his feathery bangs out of his bright eyes. Nezumi noted how fluffy his hair was and wondered if it was as soft as it looked. 

_ Wait, what am I thinking? _ He shook off the thought. “I don’t typically carry stuff like that. How did you find this place anyway? It’s kind of out of the way from your campus.” Changing the subject would take his mind off it.

Shion gave a nervous laugh, “That day I was dropping off some notes to someone who lives in the area from my class. He was having a minor surgery and couldn’t get them himself, so I offered. I saw this place on the walk back to where I parked and thought I would stop in.” He pumped more dish soap onto the sponge, rubbing it in with his fingers. Grabbing the plate, he scrubbed off the remaining food. His hands looked soft, but he could tell he was stronger than he looked by the way he crashed into the counter when he fell weeks before. 

Nezumi had to admit that he had good house-keeping skills. He wondered if Shion’s parents were strict about that kind of thing. This thought made him think about his own parents.  _ How many years has it been since then? I guess that probably contributed to my untidiness, huh? _ Nezumi tried not to think of his parents often. He’d felt a little agitated now that he had. “I see. Why go out of your way to come here every day, then? Checking on your friend?”

Shion turned the water off and grabbed a small towel to dry his hands, “No.” He turned to face the slightly taller man. “He’s not my friend though, just a classmate.” He placed the towel back where it hung previously, and smirked at the shop owner, “I thought you weren’t interested in small talk, Nezumi? Asking two questions in a row is very bold of you.”

Nezumi scoffed, hiding the way he’d startled him, “It’s only fair of me to ask a few when you ask me an endless amount of questions every day.”  _ What a little brat,  _ he said to himself. He blushed while thinking back to the original reason why he’d changed the subject.  _ I can’t believe he caught me off-guard like that, though. _ It was rare that anyone had caught him letting his guard down. He felt vulnerable, and he didn’t like the new tension between them. “Anyways, you don’t have to work here. If it’s out of your way, there’s no point in wasting time and gas to come out here every day, right?” He changed the subject again.

Shion shook his head, “I don’t mind that. Plus, I like working here. And I have to pay you back, remember?” The last group of customers were heading out the door and called out to the both of them. Shion smiled and said his goodbyes, while Nezumi just waved and smiled alongside him. Shion turned back to Nezumi and frowned, “Are you really that eager for me to leave, Nezumi?” 

Now that there was no one in the store, Nezumi could fight back. His cheeks grew slightly pink as he became embarrassed from having to spell it out for this guy who couldn’t take a hint. “Look, it’s not that you’re a bad worker. I don’t want to be forceful, but you’re being ridiculously stubborn. I don’t have the money to keep you around, Shion. It’s been busy lately because of the New Year and Valentine’s Day, but it’ll die down soon. Sorry, but I just don’t make that kinda money from my shop.”

Shion laughed lightly, “I don’t mind that. I’m not here to be paid, remember? I’m just making up for what I had damaged.” He turned to face the dark-haired man, “Plus, I like working here,” he repeated. “Mm, but I guess if you don’t want me here, I understand.”

Nezumi sighed in relief, “Good, then-”

Shion cut him off, smiling at him, “So let’s play rock-paper-scissors. If I win, I get to stay here. If you win, I’ll leave and I won’t come back.”

Nezumi found himself getting increasingly angry at his pure smile, “Huh? Did you not hear me? I’m trying to fire you.”

“No, I heard you. Are you backing down from a challenge? That’s so unlike you; you’re always trying to get the last say.” Shion frowned, upset that Nezumi wouldn’t play.

Nezumi clenched his jaw. “Hell no, I’m not backing down. But normally, when you’re getting fired, you don’t bargain for your position with your boss.” He hated how good Shion was getting at reading him from their time spent together. His agitation grew to hide the fear and unease he felt somewhere deep in the pit of his chest. “Whatever, let’s play, then. Standard rules, I assume?”

“Yep. One match only. I’m ready whenever you are,” he uncrossed his arms, making a fist over top of his palm. 

“I’m ready.” Nezumi couldn’t wait to get this idiot out of his store. He didn’t know why he ever gave in to letting him work here, but he was starting to get annoyed.  _ Who does he think he is, coming into my store and acting like he owns the place? What an annoying brat.  _

“Okay. One, two, shoot!” Shion and Nezumi threw out their hands at the same time.

The long-haired boy stared at the outcome in front of him. He blinked, lowering his hand. “Guess I win, then,” Shion smiled at him sweetly. “Better luck next time, Nezumi.”

Nezumi growled, undoing his fist from the rock position. “You only won by pure luck, that’s all rock-paper-scissors is. You can keep your job for now, but if I find you slacking in any field, you’re leaving, understand?”

Shion smirked, “Understood, boss.” He finished putting away the dishes and then gathered up his things. He put his backpack over his shoulder and folded his apron neatly, putting it underneath the counter. “See you tomorrow!” He waved happily in Nezumi’s general direction before exiting through the glass door. 

Nezumi stayed silent, waiting until he left to go and lock the door. He pulled out a chair, and sat at one of the freshly wiped-down tables. He rested his chin on his hand. Nothing went according to his plans. His plan to fire the other man had gone awfully wrong. He cursed himself for getting caught up in his anger. Nezumi was always the first to get defensive in an argument, and he hated that about himself. 

_ Better not dwell on it, or I’ll just get more agitated.  _ He stood up, pushing in the chair and heading for his loft above the store.  _ At least I have something to drive me to work on my novel tonight,  _ he thought as he climbed the stairs. He made his way to his desk and pulled out his chair and opened his computer, getting his area comfortable to work in. He wrote a decent amount, but couldn’t shake the feeling of uneasiness that sat in his stomach after the exchange with Shion. After about two hours of becoming increasingly distracted, he groaned and shut his laptop. Laying his head on top of it, he pulled out his phone and tried to focus on what he was going to do for dinner that night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a LOT more fun writing the second chapter rather than the first, but I hear that quite frequently from other authors. I hope you all enjoy chapter two. Chapter three will be the last chapter, and will be a loooot longer because it's the conclusion. Thank you for reading! Look forward to the last chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A confession, some alcohol, some sex, and two wholesome gays. What more could you ask for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! I put this chapter off for so, so long. I have been going through things irl that have delayed my work. But thank you guys so much for being patient with me and following me on this cute gay journey!   
> I really want to write domestic Nezushi in the future and I thought this fic could be the main story for that? Let me know what you guys think (: Stay safe and wash your hands!

Nezumi sighed, scrolling through the list of restaurants near him.  _ Nothing sounds good…  _ He was used to eating take out at most places. Cooking was a hassle, and cooking for one person usually amounted to him having too many leftovers that were ultimately wasted. His stomach grumbled as he looked over the list of bars near him. He rarely went out because he hated interacting with others, but having a drink and a meal outside of his house was good for him when he felt lost. 

He was stuck at a dead end when trying to think of how to word his next scene. He was never skilled at writing romance. When he tried, it read at a surface level. If he wanted his book to be a successful thriller, he would have to really indulge into the romance between the protagonist and his friend. He wouldn’t allow himself to write something lackluster just because he was inexperienced in the subject. Without the proper build-up, he wouldn’t be able to convey . 

Standing up from his desk, Nezumi grabbed his keys and put on his jacket. He walked toward the door and put his shoes on. As he locked the door, he thought about the bars in the area and realized that he would probably see customers. On that note, he decided he’d be driving a little out of the way to go to a bar. He decided on a bar about 20 minutes from him. It was still early enough that they’d be serving dinner, plus he could have a few drinks to spark some inspiration.    
  
Upon arriving at the bar, he took off his coat and hung it on the back of the barstool. The cold January rain dripped onto the floor as he tightened his low ponytail. Pushing his dark, slightly damp bangs out of his eyes, he sat down at the bar. It was a Saturday night, so the bar was relatively busy, but not packed. He was grateful for that, for he could people watch in peace, but still have enough material to go off of. 

As the bartender came over to him, he put down his menu. She was a pretty girl; very young and full of energy.  _ Must be new,  _ he thought to himself. He couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to work at such a busy place at her age. He ordered his food and thanked her as she strode away toward the kitchen to put in his order. He discreetly sipped his beer as he eavesdropped on others around him. 

“Do you need anything else, sir?” The bartender smiled at him, awaiting his response.

“Hm? Oh yeah. If you could take my plate away and bring me another drink, I’d appreciate it, dear,” he smiled back at her. “Whiskey on the rocks please, with a few slices of lime.”

“Of course!” She grabbed his dishes and empty bottle, tossing the bottle into the recycling bin behind the counter. 

Smiling outside of work was exhausting, but at least no one else had bothered him aside from the bartender. He stared down at his notepad, looking at his own messy writing. He hadn’t written down much, but most of the people here were with their friends, it seemed. He wasn’t getting much inspiration, but he did have a few helpful notes from overhearing two more college kids talking about the events of a party the previous weekend. A middle-aged couple came in as well, but they seemed to bicker more than anything. 

  
The bartender came back, setting his cold drink in front of him. “Here you go! By the way, are you waiting on someone?” She asked inquisitively.   
  
“No, why?” He raised an eyebrow.   
  
“Oh, sorry, I just realized how insensitive that is,” she nervously laughed. “It’s just that there’s this man over there who keeps looking at you. So I was wondering if you knew him.” She nodded her head over in a direction behind him.

He blinked before turning around. He was greeted by a familiar head of fluffy white hair as his dark gray eyes made contact with Shion. He quickly turned back around, avoiding her gaze, “Nope, never seen him in my life.” He lifted his bottle to his mouth to take a long drink. 

Shion excitedly perked up once he had seen Nezumi’s face, and stood up to walk towards him. He gently touched Nezumi’s shoulder with his warm hand, “I thought that was you, Nezumi! What are you doing all the way out here?” He smiled and looked over at the waitress, who seemed rather confused. “Can I have a glass of sparkling rosé, please?”

“Sure thing!” She responded before striding off to the row of liquor behind the counter. 

“What are  _ you  _ doing here, Shion? Don’t you have tests to study for?” 

“It’s a Saturday night, Nezumi. My friend invited me out with her and her friends, but I don’t really like them much,” he responded casually. “What’s that?” he gestured over at his notepad before sitting next to him.

Nezumi let out a fatigued sigh, “It’s nothing important, just work stuff. Why agree to go to the bar if you don’t like your friend’s friends?”   
  


“Well, it was originally just supposed to be four of us. Then four turned into eight, and I decided I was done for the night. Two questions in a row again, huh?” His mouth turned into a smirk, “I think you’re starting to enjoy talking to me a little bit.” 

“Yeah, in your dreams,” the other man scoffed, feeling a faint heat rise to his cheeks. Thankfully the waitress came back with Shion’s drink to break up their conversation briefly. “Wine? I thought you were a broke college kid, Your Majesty.”

Shion’s face scrunched in laughter, “Your Majesty? I promise I’m nothing but a broke college student. My friend has a tab here and said I could pay her back later.” He took a sip of his wine, “I’m not too much younger than you, you know.”

“I’m aware,” Nezumi said curtly, making sure Shion understood the insults he was throwing his way. “You should probably get back to your friends, don’t you think?”

“Nah, they just left. I’ll leave after I finish my drink if you really want me to.” He gingerly took another sip.

Nezumi didn’t fail to notice the slight falter in his voice, indicating that he would ultimately respect his boundaries. Nezumi huffed, “We’re in a public place and I’m not a cop, so do whatever you want.”

He smiled softly, “Okay. So what are you working on?”

Nezumi took a swig of his drink before replying, biting one of his limes softly. He set his drink down on the bar, “I write sometimes.”

“Oh, really?” He glanced over at the few scribbly lines of writing on the notepad. “You write poetry? Songs?”

He shook his head, “Novels and short stories. Mainly mysteries and thrillers.”

“That’s cool,” he said with genuine interest. “Have you published anything?”

“No… Well, not yet, anyways.” He took another swig of his drink and bit another lime. He sighed inaudibly at the sight of his almost empty drink. “Look, you know I’m not very social, Shion. I’m going to need a lot more alcohol than this if you’re going to blabber on. I drove here, so I can’t drink much more.” He said this as an advance to get him to leave. He held his breath, hoping he would get the hint.

“Order another drink, I’ll put it on my tab.” He rested his chin in his hand. “I can take you home. After all, I know where you live.” He giggled softly, “You look really tired. You don’t take many days off, right? So, go ahead and drink.” A soft smile spread across his face.

Nezumi sighed audibly this time, “I don’t usually take hand-outs, but I’m not going to turn down free liquor.” He browsed the various bottles of alcohol behind the counter. 

The fair-haired boy flagged down the busy bartender and put in an order for his boss. Before long, Nezumi had had two more drinks. He held his alcohol well enough, but his cheeks were a little flushed at this point. 

Shion giggled, “So you came here to watch people?”

“Well, do you have a better idea, your majesty? I need real inspiration, not some cliche romance movie. A bar’s bound to be better than a park at this hour.” He took another drink. The sting of the alcohol was starting to numb his taste buds and he no longer needed the lime to mask the sharp taste. 

“Hmm…” Shion hummed, genuinely considering the retort. “Ah, Valentine’s Day is soon, right?” He held up his finger, pointing it matter-of-factly. 

“What does that have to do with anything?” He sipped his alcohol and squinted at the shorter man inquisitively.

“Well, if you really wanted to get an idea for a couple, wouldn’t Valentine’s Day be the best option? I mean, there will be couples everywhere, so…” he trailed off. 

Nezumi sat on this for a few moments in silence, sipping the rest of his glass. “Hey, that’s not a bad idea. I knew I let you stay here for a reason,” he smirked, teasing the other boy who frowned before him.    
  


“I come up with good ideas,” the white haired boy responded as he sipped his water gingerly. “Anyways, we should get you home, huh? It’s pretty late and I have school in the morning and you have the shop, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Who knew you could be so dependable?” he laughed as he made a reference to their meeting. “Would have never guessed based on when we met.”

The boy’s red eyes squinted, “Yep, I think I’ve had enough of your snide remarks for tonight,  _ boss _ .” He joked as he motioned the taller man to stand up. “Do you want to take your car? I can have someone pick me up from your place, so I don’t mind.”

The dark haired man nodded, following after him. “I’d prefer to have my car at my place,” he yawned. He normally didn’t stay out this late, but talking with Shion made him lose track of time. 

The shorter boy reached out to open his red car door, gesturing for Nezumi to get in. Nezumi raised an eyebrow at the generosity he was receiving tonight. He wondered briefly why Shion was being so nice as he buckled himself in.  _ Maybe he just feels really guilty. I suppose I should be a bit nicer to him sometimes, huh. _ Thinking to himself, he smiled.

Looking over, Shion asked, “What’re you so happy about Nezumi?” He put the key in the ignition of his car and Nezumi scoffed in response. 

“Nothing important. Had an idea for my story is all,” he lied explicitly.

Most of the ride home was banter back and forth between their differing opinions on a book Nezumi had lent Shion a few days prior. Nezumi was amazed Shion could read so fast. He’d never met someone who could keep up with how fast he could read and write. Naturally, he enjoyed having someone to talk about books with for the first time in his life, but he wouldn’t admit this. 

“We’re finishing this inside,” he stated as he stood up to get out of Shion’s car. Shutting the door, he fumbled around for the keys to his shop. Squinting in the dark, he kept talking. “Oh yeah, you have to go to bed right? Damn, so do I, huh. I guess the alcohol made me forget that. Well, you can sleep here if you want. I don’t want you to have to bother your friends for me. I’ll take you to your car in the morning when I’m sober.” With the turn of his wrist, he opened up the shop door and waited for his coworker to follow suit. 

Shion stood in front of him, dumbfounded. “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”

The cynical boy sighed, “If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have offered, your majesty. Do you really think that lowly of me?” he laughed, pouring himself a cup of warm coffee that he had saved from earlier. He’d been drinking coffee before bed for several years now. For some reason, the energy burst only lasted about 30 minutes before he would crash. 

The other boy took off his shoes and accepted a hot mug of coffee from Nezumi, arguing, “Is that why you keep calling me that?” Laughing, he sipped his coffee and sat down on the couch upstairs next to Nezumi. “I may call you out, but it’s in fondness,” he smiled warmly, looking over at the boy across from him.

Nezumi scoffed, “Fondness, huh?” He took another sip of his coffee before setting it down on the sleek glass table in front of them. His room was rather tidy for someone living on his own, but Shion expected that from a business owner. Nezumi kept his place as pristine as he could. 

“Well, yeah,” Shion laughed. “Why else would I work here?” He whispered, inching slightly closer to Nezumi as he set his cup down. 

“W-well to pay off your debt or whatever issue you think you have with me,” he said. Trying to recoil, his back hit the couch. He’d never been this close to anyone in his life. Nezumi prided himself on his individuality. Friends would only get in the way of his store and his writing. He didn’t have time for trivial things like that. That being said, he was extremely nervous having Shion so close to him. He felt his cheeks tinge as he became locked in eye contact with him. He glanced away as quickly as he could, “Not that there is one. I forgave you weeks ago, remember?”

“I’m aware,” he said softly. “But I wasn’t looking for forgiveness.” Shion leaned in closer, making Nezumi’s heart pound. His pulse resounded loudly in his ears when Shion wasn’t speaking. Silently, he wished he would speak again. “I thought you were really pretty when I first laid eyes on you, Nezumi.” But oh fuck, not like that. His mind began to spin.  _ It’s the alcohol. The alcohol. Because I’m feminine, he thinks- _

“Look, Shion, I’m-”

“Do you think I miss the way you look at me, Nezumi?” Shion cut him off abruptly. “I’ve been watching you for weeks now. I didn’t drink because I wanted to be sure. Drinking with you has been quite the observation. The way you insult me, the way you argue; you enjoy my company and I can tell.” His face was adorned with a warm, innocent smile as always. Nezumi didn't know what happened to Shion since high school, but he loved this side of him. He seemed feral at the core, ready to snap at any moment and Nezumi enjoyed that deeply. He'd never met someone so unafraid to act on his impulses; something he wished he could do more often. 

Nezumi’s anxiety skyrocketed, “Wait,” His pale cheeks looked as if he’d just put on blush and Shion grinned at the cute sight. “But I’m-” he tried to continue, but was cut off by Shion again. 

“You’re a guy… Is that what you were going to say? I don’t care. Do you think if I cared, I’d be as nice as I am? I like working with you, Nezumi. At first, it was to pay you back. But every day, no matter how hard you resisted, you allowed me to come work with you. I liked that. You’re really selfless, you know?”

“No-”

“You are. I admire that about you. You’re always helping out the less fortunate, despite not being well-off yourself. Everyone I know is selfish, including myself. Humans are starving and greedy, as you know. Yet, you aren’t. Why is that? I had to find out. I still don’t have the answers, but I realized I stopped caring long ago. I fell farther in love with you since we’ve worked together. Nezumi, I-”

“Stop. Please stop,” he begged, trying to catch his breath. “You sound like an idiot- wait, I don’t mean that in a bad way- I mean- Ugh,” he took a moment to steady himself. “You’re a student, right? You can’t throw that away. I’m really busy with my shop. I don’t want to get in the way of your studies. You’re really smart Shion, and clever. You’re doing everything I wish I could have done. But I couldn't because life got in the way. I don’t want you to work here because I want you to pursue a better career. You deserve someone who can support you better than I can, so of course I didn't try to pursue-”

“Do you really think that? You don’t give yourself enough credit, you know?” Shion giggled to himself, leaning in towards Nezumi, close enough for their lips to almost brush. “Be selfish for once,” the shorter boy pressed his lips firmly against Nezumi’s. 

He wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or his pent up frustration, but Nezumi wanted nothing more than to be selfish in this moment now that the other man had given him a taste. Shion’s lips were warm and soft, and tasted like a familiar cup of coffee. When he pulled away, Nezumi felt his stomach jump. 

“I don’t mean to end it there, but you have work in the morning. I don’t want to keep you up, so I’ll-” he started getting up, aiming to apologize for being so dominant and startling the other boy.

“I don’t care,” Nezumi said softly, almost inaudible. 

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“I don’t care. Kiss me, Shion. I do want to be selfish. I’m tired,” he admitted vaguely, but truthfully. He was tired. Every day, he went out of his way to make sure not only that his shop was in order, but that the kids in the neighborhood all had enough entertainment and that everyone in the community was satisfied. His shop wasn’t popular, because it was in an abandoned part of town, but the locals loved the place. Shion knew this and had taken note of it. Nezumi had a fear that when he woke up, he’d never see Shion again, but he didn’t care. Even if he was betrayed, he was tired of shouldering everything by himself and being alone. He wanted nothing more than for Shion to distract him from life. Hell, he was even so desperate for a distraction he’d gone to a bar to be a bit social. Going there to gather ideas for his story wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Now that he’d experienced the selfishness that Shion taunted him with, he didn’t want to let go- even at his own undoing. 

The snowy haired boy’s eyes lit up and he jumped at the chance before the temperamental man changed his mind. Their lips smashed together desperately and it wasn’t long before Nezumi could feel Shion’s tongue darting across his lower lip, asking for permission to continue. 

Nezumi opened his mouth partially, allowing him to explore. Shion hungrily obliged and inched closer to the other man, closing the gap between their thighs. The boy pulled away and opened his magenta eyes in time to witness a look of frustration from the other boy. “Wait, should we do this somewhere else?” Shion asked, ignoring the annoyance spread across Nezumi’s face. 

“Just shut up,” he replied, pulling the clip out of his hair. His hair fell around his face in beautiful long strands. His dark eyes now seemed bright in comparison to his hair, Shion observed. 

“You’re way more beautiful than I remember,” he muttered as his lips brushed against the nape of his neck before he gently bit down. He received a shaky sigh in response, which excited him more than he’d admit. 

“You’re way more pushy than I remember,” Nezumi countered, biting back a moan he wasn’t aware he was capable of making. 

Shion giggled softly, “Well, things have changed since high school, haven’t they? Are you upset?” His mouth traveled down his chest slowly as he adorned his skin with small bites and kisses. 

The dark haired boy hissed in return. “Not really. But I’d be lying if I said you weren’t even more annoying now that you stand your ground,” he teased. 

Without further reply, Shion continued to trail kisses down Nezumi’s now exposed chest. Everything was happening so fast, Nezumi felt like he could barely breathe. The harder he tried to control himself, Shion’s lips gathered his attention stronger than before. He felt dizzy and hot, a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. He was so depressed and tired that he couldn’t even remember the last time he did something like this. Sleeping with someone on complete impulse was something the old Nezumi would have done with no regrets. But with a newfound respect for himself, he couldn’t believe it was happening later in life. Yet again, he felt fear welling up inside him. He reminded himself systematically that everything would be fine. He would just let off some steam and be done with it. It didn’t matter if Shion stayed or not. It didn't, right? 

Before he could stress about the subject longer, Shion’s lips wrapped around his eager pink nipple. Nezumi’s mind became blank at this point. All he could think about was how good the other boy felt pressed against him in the moment. His warm chest was resting against the hard-on in his pants. He blushed at this realization and tried not to think about it, but his cock just became harder at the thought. Nezumi could feel the wetness practically dripping down his thighs in his boxers. 

Shion redirected his attention to Nezumi’s lips as he began pulling off the rest of his clothes. Without warning, he shoved his tongue back into Nezumi’s mouth, receiving a muffled mewl from the boy beneath him. The college student's hand slid down Nezumi’s side, calloused fingers reminding him of how cold it was outside and how flushed his skin was. 

How did they get to this point again? Oh right, the bar. Why did he think that was a good idea? Not that he wasn’t enjoying whatever was happening right now, because he sure as hell was. His fingers soon became entangled in his silky black hair in an effort to contain his breathy gasps. Shion’s fingers inched closer and Nezumi tried not to panic. He was in a vulnerable position, and everything in him wanted to scream and run away. 

“Are you okay? We can stop at any time, I don’t mind.” Shion whispered to him gently while delicately tracing a scar on his thigh. “I wouldn’t do anything you didn’t want me to, and I know this is-”

“How polite of you, Your Majesty. Just shut up and fuck me, already.” Nezumi sighed while hiding his blushing face from Shion’s hungry red eyes. 

The snowy haired boy laughed, nibbling on Nezumi’s neck in response. “Fine,” he said as he continued with the same amount of excitement. He trailed his hand along the inside of Nezumi’s thigh, slowly inching toward his wet slit. Biting his lip, he let Nezumi’s warmth wrap around his finger tightly. The dark haired boy let out a loud sigh and Shion grit his teeth to remind himself that Nezumi was fragile in order to keep his lust from overflowing. Finding a balance between one extreme and the other was hard, which was something they had always had in common, even now. He shook the thought away as his fingers slid in and out of Nezumi, earning soft huffs of frustration in response. He could tell that Nezumi was becoming impatient. Testing Nezumi’s patience would be really fun to witness, as it always was in conversation. But Shion knew that would come later. For now, he focused on taking his time in pleasing the other boy. 

He used his free hand to cup Nezumi’s cheek while he forced their lips together messily. Nezumi was a moaning, wet mess beneath him, and Shion enjoyed every second of it. Their tongues intertwined sloppily and Shion pressed his thumb up against Nezumi’s cock as he fingered him at a steady pace. Nezumi shuddered at the sensation, arching his back in pleasure. His fingers were constricted from Nezumi’s heat and Shion could tell he wouldn’t last much longer. He was surprisingly easy to please for such a closed-off man. 

It wasn’t long until tears began to well at the edges of Nezumi’s eyes caused by the feeling of pleasure. “Shion, I- Please,” he begged, voice sounding more desperate than ever before. Shion felt himself harden at the tone of the other man’s voice, and let go of himself briefly. He picked up his pace and began fucking Nezumi deeper. The walls of his insides could be felt squeezing against him and Shion panted from physical exhaustion. His arm was tired, but he kept it up until he could hear and feel that Nezumi was finished. He pulsed around Shion’s fingers and panted heavily, whining as Shion gently pulled his hand away. 

Shion bit his lip at the sight and shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to get distracted by his own desires. He stood up and mumbled, “I’ll be right back,” before walking off to Nezumi’s bathroom to wash his hands. 

Nezumi lay there momentarily, trying to correct his breathing. What was happening again? Clothes. He pulled his shirt over himself and got up to slide his pants back on. After that, he stumbled over to his bed across the room and laid down, exhausted from everything that had just happened. His head swirled with thoughts of Shion, and for once he didn’t try to fight them as he drifted off to sleep. 

* * *

Long eyelashes fluttered open to greet the morning light coming in from the window adjacent to Nezumi’s bed. The sunlight was rather harsh for a winter day, and he groaned at that thought. 

“Nezumi?” A familiar voice resounded from the couch across the room. Shion put his phone down and sat up. “Are you alright?”

The other boy jumped and sat up, “Fuck, I didn’t expect you to be here. Wait, don’t you have class?” His cheeks began to flush as memories from the previous night flashed in his head. He broke eye contact and tried to focus on relaxing his tense muscles. 

“No. Well, class was actually cancelled. So I slept in for a bit… Is that a problem?” He asked, tilting his head.

“Huh? No, of course not. I just wasn’t expecting you to still be here,” he said snappily. “What time is it?”

“It’s around nine in the morning, but don’t worry. I locked the shop doors and everything and made sure everything was off before you woke up,” he said cheerfully. 

“You didn’t have to do that,” he started to argue, but was cut off.

“I wanted to. I feel bad that I was so pushy with you last night… I’m sorry. It’s just, seeing you again was really good. After high school, I really took what you said seriously. You were always calling me an idiot and saving me when I needed it most. I wanted to be as cool as you and stand up for myself,” he paused to breathe because everything was coming out so fast. The tips of Nezumi’s ears were burning from embarrassment. “When I saw you again, you covered for me again. You told me not to worry about the cost of the books. Once seeing it was you, and that you hadn’t changed, I knew I had to speak to you again. I mean, not that I didn’t feel bad about the books of course, that’s not what I mean. Anyways- I just- thank you,” he laughed, blushing with embarrassment as well. “I wanted to say that last night, but the thought kind of got away from me…” he trailed off and Nezumi could see his blush in the corner of his vision. 

“Shion, I-” he swallowed down what felt like his heart in his throat. “I don’t even know what to say to that. I’m not… good with words, really. Not out loud. But um… I appreciate everything you’ve done for me up until now. I really mean that. But-”

Shion cut him off again, “I won’t take no for an answer.” His voice was calm, but tone sharp. “Even if you say you don’t want to be with me, I will stay by your side, forever, as your friend.”

Nezumi blinked. He really was someone totally different. Attractive and cunning; amazing. He did all this and for what? To thank him? Nezumi tried so hard to make sense of it all. He had always been attracted to him since high school, but was never one to settle down, and especially not at the time. “I-it’s not that I don’t want to be with you, you idiot! I’ve calmed down so much since high school. Anyways, it’s that you’re in school. You should really focus on that before making rash decisions like th-”

“I’ve already thought it through. I would marry you tomorrow if you said yes.” He said plainly with a small smile.

Nezumi hunched over in laughter, “What the hell happened to you, man?”

“Let’s talk about it over some coffee before the shop opens,” he said, standing up. He brushed his fingers through his hair with his back to Nezumi. 

He laughed, mind spinning at the reality in front of him. “You’re so stubborn, Your Majesty. You’re on.”


End file.
